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A List of Free Online College Courses

College Prep Grades & Credits Gifted Education

Wednesday, 07 August 2024

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Also known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

You can teach your child college level material at home, because do it yourself college classes are everywhere right now! Especially after Covid, there are more opportunities than ever. They are easy to find online, and sometimes are completely free.

Did you know that your teen can find and gain admission to a perfect fit college? It's true!
This free class will help you: College Applications Simply Explained

As a group, these classes are called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). They are free online courses available to anyone that enrolls, even homeschool teens.

Some classes are Open Courseware, provided by Harvard and MIT.
UMass Boston Open Courseware
MIT Open Courseware
Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative
Stanford Online Free Courses

Some classes are geared toward technical fields, like website design. Some classes are to earn college credit, and others are for self-edification only.

Websites, like Coursera, offer college classes with certification. There are other websites that list college level classes, though. To find more information, start here.
Coursera.org
edx.org
openculture.com
udacity.com
udemy.com

Other websites offer different classes, including some high school level courses.
alison.com
codecademy.com
duolingo.com
khanacademy.org
linkedin.com/learning
teamtreehouse.com

Many of these courses are fine to use, and fantastic for advanced learning, but parents should consider carefully before signing your teen up.

Carefully read everything about the class before you register.
- Most are college level. Only use them when your child is capable of being successful and is able to work at a college level.
- These classes contain secular content that may not be appropriate for some Christian families, or for younger teens.
- Many of these classes are paced at a college level, giving your child only 6-8 weeks to finish the class. If you choose to use these types of classes, I recommend choosing a class that is self-paced.

- In some of the classes, grades are based off of peer review which opens the door for unfair or lazy grading from fellow students. Many parents have written in to tell us how their student has been burned by this system.
- Most of these classes typically cannot be counted as dual credit classes, although some can. Do your research.
- These classes will allow you to continue homeschooling even through the college level, whether they earn college credit or not.

Homeschooling is not a race, and it's not a competition to see who can get their child into college level courses first. Only utilize classes when your child is ready for them, they fit the mission of your homeschool and the interests of your student, and your child can be successful.
Be calm. You don't need a MOOC if it's not a good fit. If you are interested in more ways to homeschool college, check out Lee Binz's Coffee Break Book, "How to Homeschool College."

Has your family used an MOOC class before? What was your experience? Please share in the comments section below.